RWBY Heroes of Vale
by Kyrovan
Summary: Ruby Rose was once a huntress of the law, but when the law failed her, she decided on another tactic to be the hero she wished to be. Donning a cape and mask, she became the Red Reaper - guardian of Vale. (on hiatus)
1. The Red Reaper Part 1

**_Chapter 1: The Red Reaper_**

* * *

It was a quiet night in the city of Vale. Well, quiet relative to this particular city. The night was teeming with criminal activity. Liars, cheats, and thieves of all kinds owned the darkness covered streets.

Unfortunately, this was ordinary.

So it was not at all unusual for the man in the bowler hat and his thugs to nonchalantly stroll into From Dust Till Dawn, a Dust shop owned by an honest and good old man.

"How may I help you?" the old man asked nervously.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a Dust shop open this time of night?" the group's leader said sarcastically. His men, adorned in black suits with red ties and shades, stepped forward and raised guns to the old man. The leader himself raised his cane, popping the sight on the end with the old man in its crosshair.

"Please," he pleaded, "take my lien and go."

"Relax, we're not here for your money." The leader gestured to his men. "Grab the Dust."

The men spread throughout the shop. The leader and another stayed with the old man, weapons trained on him. The Dust crystals in the display cases were transferred into secure cases the men were carrying. The tubes to the Dust vats on the side were emptied into several smaller tubes. The shelves were cleared of their packages and boxes. None of the men stopped until they were carrying all they could carry and more.

"Pleasure doing business with you," the leader teased. "Now, once we're gone, feel free to call the cops. Just know that - " He stopped, catching sight of something red fluttering down one of the shop's aisles. "You," he gestured to one of the men, "go check that out."

So he did. The sight was not what he was expecting.

"Hey you!" A woman adorned in what appeared to be a red cloak stood with her back to him. "Take off the hood and turn around. Slowly."

Slowly, she turned around, but she did not take off the hood. It obscured her face, but the man could make out a small smirk.

"You got a death wish? Take off the damn hood and put your hands in the air!"

He was sent flying through the store window. He landed hard on the street, out cold.

The leader heard his scream along with the sound of breaking glass. He gestured to another two of his men. "Whatever that was, put it out of its misery." Then he turned to the shopkeeper again. "You have any helpers in here? Any rogue individuals you conveniently forgot to mention?"

The old man shook his head vigorously.

"Then what the hell - "

He was interrupted by the sound of the two men screaming, meeting the same fate as the first.

"Okay, I've had just about enough of your - "

Another interruption, but this one had the added effect of knocking the wind out of him so he couldn't finish even if he had wanted to. There was an explosion of red petals and the leader found himself out on the street on top of a newly formed pile of his unconscious men. Making sure his hat was still atop his head and his white suit untarnished, the man gathered his breath and slowly crawled off the pile. When he felt pavement, he stood up properly and took another moment to straighten himself out.

This was not how he thought the night would go.

He could now see the cause for his current situation. A woman stood before him wielding a giant scythe and wearing red and black. She lifted her head slightly and he could just make out the mask beneath the hood, silver eyes peering out of it. She still wore that smirk.

"Well, I'll be damned." He leaned forward on his cane. "Pleasure to meet you, Red!" His sarcasm faded into a more grim expression as he raised his cane. "But this will also be goodbye. It's me or the old man." He fired, causing an explosive round to rocket towards the Dust shop.

She realized immediately what was happening and moved to intercept it. In a whirlwind of rose petals, she stood in its path. When it hit her, she was prepared. A small explosion propelled her back into the store, body slamming into the shelves. Her aura took the brunt of the explosion and her impact, but it still hurt like hell.

"So long, Red!" came his voice as the leader made his escape.

The woman stood up as quickly as her aching body would let her which, even with her speed, was not very quickly. He was going to get away, a fact she would kick herself for later. At the very least, he didn't seem interested in trying to run away with any of his friends. Hell, he even left most of the Dust.

She shook her head, trying to bring everything back into focus. Things could've been a lot worse. He could be apprehended, but the store would've been a smoldering wreck and the old man gone with it. She could've been unconscious, unaware as the cops arrived and they revealed -

She froze. Was her mask still on? Yep. Hood? Check. She breathed a sigh of relief. Yeah, could've been MUCH worse.

Sirens sounded in the distance. If only that bastard hadn't fired...She shook her head again. Just wait, she thought, I'll get you next time.

"You okay?" she called out.

The shop owner peeked his head up from behind the counter. He nodded.

"Good."

And in an explosion of petals, she had disappeared from inside the shop and was looking down upon it from a nearby rooftop, crouched at the edge. She could see the blaring lights of the police cars as they made their way towards the scene, slowing as they closed in. This time, there was a credible witness, but she was sure the cops still wouldn't believe him. She chuckled to herself. Surely, they must've figured it out by now, but no one ever seemed to believe she was real. Yet she had been doing this for two years. Hell, someone even wrote an article about her.

She lowered her hood and hung her mask around her neck.

Ruby Rose took a deep breath and in another shower of rose petals, she was gone.


	2. The Red Reaper Part 2

**_Chapter 2: Disconnect_**

* * *

 _Ruby stormed out of the precinct, older sister Yang Xiao Long following close behind._

 _"Ruby," she called after the redhead. "Flower, wait!"_

 _Ruby turned and glared at her sister, eyes aflame. "You're not changing my mind, Yang," she spat._

 _"C'mon, just calm down, okay? So you had a bad case. It happens, sis," Yang said. She tried her best to smile, but it was hard whilst staring down such fury._

 _"A bad case? HIS NAME IS SUN!" Ruby roared._

* * *

Yang looked at her scroll, flooded with disappointment at finding - for how many times, she's lost count - no messages from Ruby. So she tried dialling one more time.

"Ruby? Yang. Please call me."

Pocketing her scroll, Yang stepped off of her motorcycle and removed her helmet. The world was slightly less dark. The sun had not yet peeked over the horizon, leaving the scene in front of her basked in gray.

The blonde stepped over the police tape, not fazed in the slightest. Another day, another crime scene. She hated that she had become so used to this. It is indeed why she jumped into the police straight out of Beacon in the first place, but it still sucked. She graduated from the huntsmen academy eight years ago, yet it felt like little progress had been made in the war against crime. Sure, crime had started going down as of two years ago, but Yang had her suspicious there was more to it.

Just like there was more to this particular scene. Yang noted it looked like a robbery gone wrong - very wrong. For the robbers, that is.

"Can someone tell me why there are seven guys zip tied and waiting for us?" Yang asked aloud. It was a moment before a rabbit Faunus rushed to meet her inquiry, long ears bobbing as ran up. "Officer Scarlatina, whatcha got?"

"Detective, we - " What followed was an incoherent, rushed garble of words spewed between breaths.

"Easy, Velvet." Yang smiled. "Take your time." At that, Velvet relaxed. Her energy seemed to go as well; the Faunus yawned. "Too early for ya?"

"Late patrol," Velvet said, brushing back a strand of brown hair. "Had to chase a purse snatcher on foot. He was really fast." She pulled out a small notepad and flipped through a few of the pages. "These men were led by another into this shop here. About six foot, orange hair under a bowler cap, white suit."

Yang noted these men wore black suits, red ties and similarly coloured shades. "Different from these guys. Ring leader?"

"Don't know, but they were looking for Dust like the men who hit those other Dust shops."

"That makes three this week."

"And they," she gestured to the tied men, "match the description we have on them too."

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Velvet nodded in agreement. "So you guys," Yang said as she turned to the men, "have been stealing all that Dust. What for?"

They were silent.

"See, we got you for this one. Seems your boss doesn't care about any of you. So why not make this easy?" Yang stood with her hands on her hips.

Again, silence.

Yang sighed, moving to stand in front of one of the men. "What about you, Reginald? Can I call you Reginald? You look like a Reginald."

"Screw you," 'Reginald' spat.

Yang looked to Velvet then back to the man. "Okay, book 'em."

Motioning for the other officers to help, Velvet lead them one by one into the back of large armored truck with VCPD markings. After a few minutes, murmurs and grumbles, all of the men in question were locked in its back.

The smiling Faunus officer returned to Yang. "That was easy."

"Too easy," Yang said as she scratched her head. "Seven guys is a lot of manpower to just throw to the wolves. Was there anything else from them or the store owner?"

Velvet's expression changed to one of confusion. "They said something about someone in a red cape."

"Oh, great." Yang groaned. "That bullshit again."

As the sun's rays finally horizon, Yang figured that there was a long day ahead of her.

* * *

As the sun peeked through her windows, Ruby's day was just getting started.

With a groan, she lifted her head from her pillow. As quickly as she opened her eyes, she squeezed them shut again. No amount of rubbing them relieved her exhaustion. She knew the price of her late night activities, but accepted them not that long after she first donned the mask two years ago. It was something she needed to do. An overwhelming sense of duty.

Besides, caffeine was good for her, right?

After a quick shower and some fresh clothes, she made her way into the kitchen and turned on her coffee maker. Her teammates were always wary of the stuff back at Beacon. The boost from caffeine mixed with Ruby's semblance had results ranging from extremely helpful to catastrophic. On one hand, she once tore through a pack of Grimm Ursai in a matter of seconds. On the other, she demolished the school cafeteria in a disagreement turned food fight gone wrong. She had steered clear of the liquid ever since, but found that it had its uses now. When the coffee maker finally beeped, she poured a cup and took a small sip. Moderation was key.

Her scroll lay on the counter nearby. She flicked the screen on and wasn't surprised to find half a dozen messages from Yang. With a heavy sigh, she deleted them all. She loved her sister. She really did, but she knew exactly what Yang wanted to talk about. It was a conversation they had had over and over again until they stopped having conversations altogether.

Ruby didn't plan on being a huntress again anytime soon. At least, not the one the world wanted her to be. She was out to save lives. The only lives she'd damn would be the ones that end them. She couldn't do that even with all the power of the law at her side.

She chuckled to herself. Yeah, power, she thought. The law and the badge it once gave her came with less freedom than she'd had before it became her mighty shield. In her eyes, it had done little to protect those she really wished to help.

A familiar chime rung out from her scroll. It lit up and Ruby was relieved to see it was someone other than her sister. "Ruby Rose," she answered.

"Good morning, Ruby," a deep male voice greeted her.

She smiled. "Hey, Tukson. Whatcha doing up?"

"Just had some things to let you know for today."

"Couldn't wait til you get in later?" She took another sip of coffee.

"Only a few projects I would like started. I can finish tonight."

"Okay. What do I need to do?"

"We got some more books in yesterday I'd like you to sort and put out. Also, if you could start putting up the banners - "

"For the Vytal Festival. I forgot that was coming up."

He chuckled and Ruby felt a smile forming. She always loved the Vytal Festival. The city was always more lively; even the criminals slowed down to enjoy the celebrations of culture and unity. It was always a good time of year. She just wished...no, she thought. Best not to think of that right now.

"Just a month away. Time to start getting ready."

"Cool." Another sip.

There was a slight pause. "I'm expecting a few calls today. Tell them I won't be in."

Ruby frowned. "Huh? You want me to lie to our customers?"

"These guys are not our customers. You'll know them when they call." She heard a sigh. When he spoke again, Ruby could tell he was doing his best to lighten the mood. "So I'll see you in later, okay?"

"Sure will. Take a nap, will ya?"

Tukson laughed before hanging up and Ruby did the same. However, she still couldn't help but wonder what that last bit was about. Did Tukson get mixed up in something bad? Her eyes wandered down the towards her hallway, specifically in the direction of her closet. Maybe she should bring her cape and scythe...

She shook her head. Surely, it was nothing. Tukson would tell her, right? She applied for a job at his store because he seemed like an honest person. Sure, she couldn't be too picky considering her only education had been for hunstmen work, but she knew the type of people she didn't want to associate with. Tukson was not one of those people. She knew that. Her gut hadn't steered her wrong before.

Ruby took one last sip of her coffee before grabbing her signature red leather jacket and heading out. As she opened the door to her apartment building, she felt a rush of cool autumn air. Perfect weather for the upcoming festival and her walk to work. Tukson's Book Trade was only a few blocks away.

Of course, she arrived there swiftly. Even without her semblance, speed came naturally. She wouldn't move as quickly and leave behind her signature rose petals, but she still vastly outran the average human and Faunus.

With equal speed, Ruby started her assigned tasks and opened the shop.

Around noon, just as Tukson had told her, the phone rang. Ruby hesitated, debating not picking it up, but figured it would be better to just do as Tukson had instructed.

"Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun. How may I help you today?" Ruby did her best to keep the unease out of her voice.

"Where's Tukson?" a gravelly voice demanded.

Play it cool, she thought to herself. "He's not in today. May I ask who's calling?"

No response except the dead ringing of a phone that just hung up, leaving Ruby to again wonder what Tukson was wrapped up in. But again, she shook her head and told herself not to worry.

When the store was empty of customers, Ruby took a ladder from storage and set it up outside. Tukson wanted the banners put up. The Vytal Festival meant more people on the streets. More people meant more customers. Customers meant sales and discounted prices. For now, the banners would tease these upcoming events.

"Forget how to answer your scroll?"

Ruby rolled her eyes as she secured the right side of the banner under the 'Tukson's Book Trade' sign. "I'm busy, Yang."

"Y'uh huh, I'm sure." Ruby could practically hear the playful smirk.

"What do you want?" She asked. She knew exactly where Yang was going to take this conversation.

"Can't a girl check on her younger sister?" Then she quietly added. "Have to remind her the offer is still open."

Ruby gripped the ladder harder then let out a stern "No."

"C'mon, Flower, you're wasting your potential and for what? To run a store and play waitress? You know you're better than that," Yang said.

Yang did not disappoint. This same conversation had played out so many times with no absolutely no variation. For two years, Yang had tried to get Ruby back into the police force. For two years, Ruby had told her "No." But Yang was stubborn and so was Ruby.

"You know we could do a lot of good together, sis. Whaddaya say?"

Ruby hopped off the ladder and stood in front of Yang. "Or put even more innocent people in jail."

"That's not fair - "

"No, it absolutely isn't. Yang, it isn't fair. I can't help people there." She was trying to wrap this up quickly. She was real tired of this conversation. "Just leave me alone."

"What would Mom say?"

Ruby froze. She squeezed her fists until her knuckles went white. This was new and she did not care for this turn at all. "Don't. You. Dare."

Ruby had two reasons for wanting to be a huntress. The first was the stories that she grew up on. Legends and tales of heroes, real and fictional. She loved the heroes that would swoop in and save the day, beat the bad guys, and get the girl (or sometimes guy). From thick volumes to thinner comics, she couldn't get enough of them, especially when her mother or sister were reading them to her. The heroes were always so inspiring. She wanted to be just like them. To help others.

The second was her mother. In Ruby's eyes, she was the most amazing person ever. Slayer of monsters and baker of the best cookies in the world. She loved Ruby and Yang with all her heart. She seemed so much like the heroes in those stories - saving others and asking for little in return. Ruby wanted to be just like her. It was only reinforced when she died, not long before Ruby started at Beacon and Yang was graduating.

Ruby would take up the mantle of huntress and continue her mother's work.

But she couldn't do that if she had stayed a police officer.

Yang seemed to take the message and back off. "Just think about it, okay? I'll see you around, Flower."

And Ruby was left alone, unable to focus on her task with the anger now swirling inside of her. She was glad when Tukson arrived two hours later so she could walk it off on her way to her second job.

Her second job was indeed being a waitress - one who worked at The Seven Swords restaurant. Yang was still on her mind so she set about getting ready as quickly as possible. She needed something to distract herself. She said her "hello's" to the rest of the staff before entering the dining room.

She approached her first table. "Hi there! Welcome to the Seven Swords. Can I start you with - "

Her silver eyes locked with ones of amber.

Any of the ire she currently held for her sister disappeared in an instance. As it turned out, so did any thought of her or the conversation they held earlier that day.

Instead, she was focusing on the woman in front of her. Someone she had not had contact with since Beacon.

"Blake."


	3. The Red Reaper Part 3

**_Chapter 3: Shadows_**

* * *

 _She was packed up and ready to go. She knew she should just leave, slip away in silence into the night, just like she planned. But something kept her. Something tugged at her. Defied reason and logic. Something she didn't understand at the time._

 _Blake looked over the room once more, specifically at her still teammates. NVBR now had two empty beds, including hers. Ruby and Velvet still slept peacefully._

 _They wouldn't have any idea whe was gone until the morning. She knew Velvet would likely be the first to notice, Ruby liking to sleep in as far as she could push it._

 _She slowly pushed the window open, not a noise being made. Blake figured she didn't have to be cautious. She was the stealthiest member of the team. Maybe even in all of Beacon. Every movement was elegant and soundless. Natural. She may have given Ruby and Velvet some tips, but they still would never be a match for her._

 _At least, she thought so until she heard Ruby stir._

 _Blake froze. She watched as the redhead slowly sat up in her bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Silver eyes slowly opened before scanning the room. They eventually settled on Blake._

 _She still couldn't move, but Ruby did not either. Nor did she speak. She just looked at her and she looked back. Ruby didn't have night vision like Blake did so she likely couldn't make out the sheer terror in Blake's expression. She seemed to understand anyways. Blake could make out the resulting sadness, confusion, and pain that racked Ruby. How could she not see her best friend was betraying her?_

 _"I'm sorry," she mouthed before jumping out the window._

* * *

Blake didn't want to run then, but she certainly did now. She tilted her head slightly to look past the redhead towards the door. She weighed her options. She could just make a run for it, but who could outrun Ruby? A well-placed shadow clone and overturned table could give her an opening, but that would make even more of a scene.

An "I, uh..." from Ruby pulled Blake out of her thoughts. She sported a nervous smile. Ruby scratched the back of her head. She opened and closed her mouth several times, seemingly as much at a loss for words as Blake was.

Blake did her best to smile herself. She gave an equally uncertain chuckle.

"So," Ruby tried again, "what will your order is has been?"

What? Did she just hear that jumble of words correctly?

Ruby's smile grew a little more anxious. "Hi Blake," she murmured.

"H-hi Ruby," Blake returned.

In the ensuing awkward silence, Blake knew there was no getting out of this now. It was either confess and have Ruby potentially hate her forever. Or say nothing and definitely have Ruby hate her forever. There was no fixing their friendship, four years later or not.

Stop, she thought. This is Ruby. She'll understand. But maybe a shadow clone would -

"I'm sorry!" Ruby said suddenly.

Blake blinked. "Huh?"

"I didn't mean to chase you away. I mean, I know we were best friends and everything, but I knew it was wrong to try and replace Nyla as leader. Well, you see, I wasn't trying to replace her. How could we replace a friend, right? I didn't want to and I didn't want to be leader either. I was just trying to be me and support the team. She would've wanted us to continue to train and become huntresses. I just thought it was the right thing to be there for you and Velvet and make sure we were all doing our best and - " she suddenly stopped, though probably not for the breath she decided to take. "You're not saying anything."

Blake found herself laughing. She couldn't help it. This was Ruby Rose. "You haven't changed a bit."

Soon, Ruby was as well. "Well, maybe a little."

"I'm glad."

"Me too."

Silence again. Blake was again counting the seconds it would be before Ruby undoubtedly would ask the question.

So she decided to just skip to the answer instead. She took a breath and looked the redhead right in the eye.

"You didn't drive me away. I just...there was something I had to do. I can't tell you and I don't know that you'll understand - " she started.

"I do, Blake," she said. "Believe me, I do." There was a knowing in the way she said it. Of course Ruby would understand. Nobody ever really understood Blake like she did.

"I'm so sorry, Ruby. You were my best friend and I betrayed you."

That same knowing in her expression appeared. "You were doing what you thought you had to do. What you thought was right. I'm not mad, Blake. I'm just...glad to see you again."

"Thank you," Blake said, a small but genuine smile forming on her lips now.

This was Ruby Rose. She was the strongest soul that Blake had ever met. During their time at Beacon, Blake had slowly come to realize that something had been eating away at Ruby. Between Nyla disappearing, and Blake imagined even after she herself ran away, Ruby had never faltered. She always tried to be positive. She still put others before herself, always the first to help and ask nothing in return. She put everything she had into the team - her friends - because they needed her.

Blake had been proud to call Ruby her best friend. It only made it hurt more when she ran. Even so, she had to wonder if there was any way to fix their friendship. Now, however, was not a good time.

"So," Blake began, "you're not a cop."

There a flicker across Ruby's expression. "Yeah, it wasn't quite working out so...yeah, I quit." Her gaze wandered for a moment before her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh! Your order!"

Right, they were in a restaurant. Any thoughts of ordering something had fled her mind when Ruby came up to her a few minutes ago. At the very least, she knew what she wanted for a drink. "I'll have a tea, a - "

The tea appeared in front of her, somehow spared from the swirl of rose petals. "Here you go!" Ruby said cheerfully.

Blake regarded the tea for a moment before cautiously taking a sip. Black tea, her favourite. Ruby had remembered.

"So you're not a huntress either, huh?" Ruby said. "I guess neither of us are doing what we thought we'd do."

"No, I guess not," Blake agreed. "I'm still trying to do some good though. I'm a columnist for the Vale Times. I mainly write about Faunus rights, protests, and the like. It's not much, and I know I can't speak for all Faunus, but I'm doing what I can to help them."

"I remember you were passionate about that, probably enough to get front page a lot!"

"You don't read the paper, do you?" Blake said sadly. "No, the only piece I've gotten on the front page was one I had to do about the Red Reaper. It's a shame that urban legend was more popular than the important matters. It was a garbage piece."

There was another flicker across Ruby's expression. Again, Blake couldn't tell what it was. She wondered if maybe she should have made a break for the door. After all these years, it turned out Ruby wasn't mad at all. But was she saying the wrong things to Ruby now?

"So I should probably take your order for food now," Ruby said, bringing Blake out of her thoughts again. "I know you like tuna, but unfortunately, we don't have any on the menu. We do have a killer salmon though."

Tuna was her favourite, but Blake did enjoy a good salmon too. "That sounds lovely." Blake smiled.

"Awesome! Coming right up!" Ruby smiled back. She turned to leave. After a few steps, she turned back. "I've REALLY got to get working now, but maybe I'll run into you again?"

She didn't gave Blake a moment to answer, not that Blake had one. Things were...complicated.

* * *

"You know, whatever you think you're doing is not gonna work. I'm surprised you haven't even asked for your lawyer yet," Yang said.

She was bored and frustrated. 'Reginald,' as she had taken to calling him, had yet to say a word. In fact, that had been the case for all of the thugs she brought in earlier that insults. No demands for lawyers or some shady get-me-out-of-jail guys. Not a peep.

She sighed. Normally, they'd be more than happy to talk. They could screw over their friends for a deal, have a good lawyer get them out, then have said lawyer do the same for the friends they just screwed over. At least there was some honour among thieves. In some twisted disgusting way, that is.

So for these guys to not say ANYTHING raised some alarms. Either they didn't have good lawyers or their employers were much less than forgiving.

"You know this'll be a lot easier if you say SOMETHING, right?" she said.

Silence again, but at least she got a dirty look this time.

Yang sighed. "Okay, you want to play hardball? Fine. Let's see what you're afraid of." She turned slightly in her seat to the door of the interrogation room. "HEY SCARLATINA!"

Within seconds, the door swung open and the rabbit Faunus appeared in the room. "Yes, Detective?" The brunette smiled.

"We have this guy's scroll, right?" Yang asked.

"Sure do."

"Cool. Can you get that for me?"

As Velvet disappeared, 'Reginald' began to look rather worried. "W-w-wait! What are you doing?"

"Finally!" Yang briefly threw up her arms in celebration. "I was wondering what it would take. Jeez, you guys are something, you know that?"

"What are you going to do?" He shifted nervously in his seat. He couldn't do much else since he was handcuffed to the table.

Yang was pleased that her smirk was making even more nervous. "I'm just gonna look through your contacts. Chill, dude."

Velvet reappeared in the room. "Here we are," she said as she gave Yang the thug's scroll.

"Sweet!" The blonde promptly began looking through his list of contacts. She raised an eyebrow. "Who's 'Boss'?"

"Like I'd tell you!" The sweat on the man's brow shattered any vision of toughness he was trying to mantain. He was scared.

"Okay, how 'bout I call him and find out?" Yang tapped 'Boss' on the scroll and was brought to a list of options. Her thumb hovered over 'Call'.

"W-wait! Don't!"

"Just tell me who it is. How bad can it be?"

"If he finds out that I ratted on 'im..." 'Reginald' shuddered.

Yang's eyes flickered red briefly. "Trust me. He's the least of your worries, but if you insist..."

She tapped the call button.

Ring...

"Y-you're bluffing!" He was squirming now.

Ring...

Yang kept on smirking.

Ring...

"N-no way, right?" 'Reginald' was now visibly sweating.

Ring...

Her smirk twitched. What if this didn't work?

Ring...

"OKAY OKAY! Junior! It's Junior!"

She hung up and leaned forward. "What's he doing in the Dust-robbing business?"

"He's not. It's that guy in the white suit," he said.

"Who is he?"

He shrugged. "Don't know, don't care to know. Word is he's got a lot of influence and he paid really well for our service."

"And look how that turned out," Yang said. He glared at her. She asked, "Your boss still run that club downtown?" 'Reginald' nodded. "Then I'm going to pay him a visit. Scarlatina?"

"Yes, Detective?" the Faunus spoke up.

"Take him down to lock up for me?" Velvet nodded in response. "Thanks, Officer."

"W-wait a minute! You can't just throw me in there now! What if somebody finds out I ratted 'em?" Again, he was nervous.

"Don't worry, Reggy," Yang said, "your secret's safe with me. Can't promise you a reduced sentence though!"

She could hear him cursing at her all the way down to his jail cell.

* * *

Ruby took a seat on the edge of a building by the docks. Her cape flapped slightly in the wind behind her. It was late now, but she still saw some boats coming in, dropping off their passengers. One of the things she loved about the Vytal Festival was all the people that came to visit from across Remnant, warriors and citizens alike. Naturally, she preferred seeing the warriors for their unique weapons. If she was really lucky, she would catch a semblance or two.

Jaune had suggested it, actually. He knew how Ruby was about huntsmen and huntresses. In fact, he knew a lot of things about Ruby. They had grown up together. She knew he was sad to see her go to Signal and then Beacon, but he understood and they kept in touch. He was overjoyed when she graduated and came back and when being a cop didn't work out, he got her the job at the Seven Swords.

She made a mental note to make it up to him later. For tonight AND the job.

But now, her mind slipped back to Blake. Jaune had been her closest friend, but Blake had been her best friend. She was surprised herself when she saw Blake earlier that day. She was more than happy to see her, sure, but she was uncertain about what would happen next. A lot of time had passed. They had both been through a lot in the past four years.

The only thing she knew for sure was that she wanted to see Blake again.

Sirens sounded in the distance. Her scroll vibrated in her pocket, prompting the earpiece she had to buzz to life. "Attention units," she heard. She smiled. She may not be a cop anymore, but she still knew how to access to police channels. "We have a developing situation on Sigil and 8th. We have reports of armed men converging on the Vale Times office building. All nearby units please respond and exercise caution."

It continued on, but Ruby was no longer listening. Tapping into as much Aura as she could muster, she pushed her semblance as far as she could take it and bolted across the rooftops.

She might see Blake sooner than she thought.


End file.
